If life has been kicking you around a little harder than usual, let me offer you a thought that might just reset your whole spirit: honor rarely arrives without hardship paving the road first. If you do not believe me, ask Joseph from the Old Testament in the Bible.

Joseph did not end up in the palace by luck. He ended up there because he survived everything that should have crushed him long before he ever sat on a throne. We love the palace part of his story — the elevation, the respect, the restoration. But let us be real… most of us would have tapped out at the pit, and that is precisely why his story matters.

Joseph was favored, yes — but favor does not exempt you from life.
Favor attracts jealousy.
Favor exposes you.
Favor stretches you.
Favor grows you in the dark before God ever displays you in the light.

Joseph was betrayed by the very people who shared his blood. He was sold by the ones who should have protected him. He was lied on when he was only trying to do right. Sadly, he was forgotten by the people who promised to remember him. But here is the thing — every setback was secretly setting him up.

The pit positioned him.
The prison trained him.
The heartbreak humbled him.
The waiting refined him.
The palace? That was never the goal — that was the assignment.

See, honor without hardship will not hold. You do not build wisdom, compassion, or leadership sitting in comfort. You build it surviving the things you thought would destroy you.

So, if you are in your “pit season,” please do not panic. If you are in your “prison season,” just do not give up. Overlooked? Underestimated? Outright attacked? Breathe.

God is not punishing you. He is preparing you. Joseph did not go from dream to destiny overnight. He went through the trenches, through the fire, through the betrayal — and still kept his integrity intact. That is the part that carried him into honor, not the dream… the character builder.

So here is my word for you:

Stop assuming the detour means the dream is dead.
Stop assuming the suffering means the story is over.
Stop assuming the delay means God forgot.

No.
This is the grit before the glory.
This is the stretch before the seat.
This is the shaping before the showing.

When you finally walk into your own “palace moment” — the place where everything God promised lines up with everything you endured — you will understand why the hardship had to come first. You will realize the pit did not break you. It actually built you.

So hold your head up. Honor is still on schedule. When it arrives, you will be ready for it because you have survived the weight of what came before.

Expect the hardship before the honor. Remember: It is the Joseph pattern – the preparation process. It is your path to purpose.

Now go ahead and walk through this season like you know where you are headed — because you do.

Coach Erika